Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-11-05

From the Cleveland Pain Dealer
Prof F. W. Putnam, Curator OF Peabody Museum,
at Cambridge, Mass, and perhaps the most dis
tinguished archeologist In America, lectured be-
fore the western Reserve Historical Society last
evening on the Mounds and Mound Builders OF
Ohio" Prof. Putnam has spent the past two
months in exploring the great serpent mound in
Adams County. He began with o word about the
ancient people OF America
"There were," said the speaker, 'four great
antique races on this continent, or the people, II
OF one race, show greater diversity than any
other on earth. For instance, we found In one
mound In Ohio 1,5OO skeletons. and these were Of
various sizes and differed in their characteristics
long -headed people and the people with short and
broad heads. There IL evidence that the long
beaded people came from Northern Asia, and.
crossing Behring Strait, continued their way
downward as far as California. They then crossed
TO the great lakes, went down the Saint
way Sg the
themselves into Ohio and Pennsylvania. There Is
evidence that they resembled the people Of North
pie had the characteristics of the people OF South
ern Asia, and resenlbled the Malay race. The nrst
traces OF them We ind In Peru and Central Amer
into Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, and, following
the rivers which empty into the Gulf OF Mexico,
nosaoy the assspP they mingled a. sss VIII
were finally absorbed by them. The Indian ia
descend mt OF those two races"
built by these people, He told how the former
metho OF digging a hole in the center Of the
mound, which was at first practised bv explorers,
OF research. Prof. Putnam does not excavate the
mounds, but slices them on in perpendicular sec
tions until the whole mound has been laid open TO
inspection. He described at length the use OF the
mounds for burial, and said there were many ways
In which the bodies were prepared for 1nterment.
sometimes they were |cremated, and sometimes
md 0rna q
stone tomb surrounded the bodies, sometimes q
sort OF Lighthouse work Of timber.
Besides the burial mounds there are othe
for great religious ceremonies. have been
making explorations In the Little Miami Valley,
Of Mom
To him we owe much Of our Information Of the
ancient Lake Superior mining as well as OF the
in that valley are sacred mounds-that is they
were for the purpose OF sacrifice and religious GER
emonies. ON these mounds fires were kindled and
sacrifices were made-not human sacrifices, but
sacrifices to the fire. In one OF these mounds we
found terra-cotta figures beautifully carved and
perfect representations OF people In perfect atti-
tude OF rest there was nothing to suggest action.
There were bestje these stone images OF fne
shape. There were copper pendants and tn ,usands
OF copper beads. Many earrings were found OF
copper covered with native silver, and over 90 600
pearls. 1t seemed as II all the pearls OF all the
tribes had been cast upon this liar. We have
found these affairs in several mounds, and some
times we found several affairs, so you see many OF
the great mounds were for other purposes than
burial"
Having spoken OF the mounds, the speaxer intro
duced the subject OF the serpent in Adams County.
"ihe SERPENT" said he, "waS worSnlped by the
Mexicans AMI PeruvanS, and 1t apparently served
some purpose among the ancient people OF Ohio.
We have one representation or 1t In Adams Comfy.
IL is the only one on EARTH 1t is partly OF stone,
but principally Of earth" The property surround
ing the serpent to the extent OF sixty acres has
been purchased for The Peabody Museum by Bos-
ton ladies and is now In tine hands or Prof. Put
nam, who has already made some explorations
into the mounds surrounding and adjacent to the
serpent with very encouraging results He has
found in the mounds skeletons Of people who must
have belonged to different eras, whose bodies must
have been laid In the mound by people who were
not aware that the mounds had been used by other
people for the same purpose before. Prof. Putnam
hopes next year to make extensive explorations,
from which he thinks valuable facts concerning
the mound builders will be learned. He spoke OF
the elaboration OF the mounds at Circevtlle, Gin
c1nnati, and Marietta He referred Particularly 70
the ancient fortiflcation On what IS Called Fort
hill, in Highland county. This fortificatiOn cOn-
talns forty acres and Is probably one thousand
years old. 1t can be purchased for "a 600. Prof.
Putnam closed his lecture BY urging the purchase
OF this fertilization and by asking the society TO
create an interest In the ancient history OF OHIO
among the masses OF Indifferent people who are
helping to obterate all traces OF the mound build